Rapper 50 Cent’s comments on Conan O’Brien’s show cost him $2 million in lawsuit

Rapper 50 Cent has had a lower profile in recent years than during his initial burst onto the scene. Now, he’s back in the news, but the headlines he’s making are anything but productive. The rapper, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, appeared on Conan O’Brien’s show in mid-July to promote his involvement in the Jake Gyllenhaal movie “Southpaw,” as reported by Yahoo News. But the conversation soon took an unexpected turn.

Jackson addressed his filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection just a couple of days before the talk show appearance. However, the timing of his bankruptcy filing was suspicious because it came hot on the heels of a $5 million judgment against him. He was ordered to pay the amount to Lastonia Leviston, the ex-girlfriend of Rick Ross, a rival rapper, for posting a sex tape of the two on the web to humiliate him.

On the show, the rapper implied that he filed bankruptcy protection because of the lawsuit, saying that because of his stature he had a bull’s-eye painted on his back.

At Jackson’s next court appearance in late July, Leviston’s lawyer used the comments to argue that the only reason he filed for bankruptcy protection at all was to shield himself from the lawsuit. In light of the very public evidence, Jackson was ordered to pay another $2 million dollars on top of the original $5 million to the woman in the sex tape.

It’s important to note that the rapper maintained that his appearance of wealth was just that—a façade. In reality, he claimed, he returns all of the fancy cars and jewelry to the stores from which he bought them. But that wasn’t enough to convince the judge.

Outside the courtroom, Leviston’s lawyer was ecstatic. Hunter Shkolnik said that his client deserves the big payday for the humiliation that the leaking of her sex tape by Jackson put here through.